


Into the Woods

by charleybradburies



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Ambiguous Slash, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Beginnings, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Cliche, Community: 1_million_words, Community: hd_cliche, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fandom Allusions & Cliches & References, Forests, Friendship, Gen, Good Draco Malfoy, Horcrux Hunting, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Implied Slash, Light Angst, M/M, Male Slash, Male-Female Friendship, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Morally Ambiguous Character, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, On the Run, One Shot, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, POV Harry Potter, POV Male Character, Please Don't Hate Me, Redeemed Draco, Redemption, Running Away, Short One Shot, Unintentional Redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 16:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4753742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charleybradburies/pseuds/charleybradburies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Hermione have escaped from their most recent close encounter with Voldemort. They're exhausted, missing Ron, and worn out from the influence of the Horcrux locket. When they hear someone blundering through the woods in the middle of the night, they're prepared for almost anything. Except a desperate, fleeing Draco Malfoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> **Cliche(s) Used:** down-and-out!Draco | on the run | forced proximity (implied) | also incorporates horcrux-hunt!fic, light-side!Draco, hurt/comfort, and uneasy allies
> 
>  **Warning(s) Listed on LJ:** Discussion of Ron, Voldemort, DH events | background Hr/R | Harry being Harry and not utilizing common sense
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. 
> 
> All the thanks to kitty_fic for being a lovely beta and a lovelier person!!! *blows kiss*
> 
> Comments, etc. are wonderful and appreciated! Enjoy! :D

“I still can’t believe he’d do that,” Hermione moans, leaning into Harry’s shoulder, gripping his arm tightly as she tries to curl in closer to warm herself up. The fire sputters again, and he turns his gaze down at her with raised eyebrows.

“You can’t believe Voldemort would try to get into my head?”

“No, Ron!” she replies immediately, as though he should have known that’s who she’d been talking about, even though they haven’t had anything resembling conversation in hours.

“I can’t believe Ron would leave like that, let alone say those horrid things to you.”

Harry groans, pressing his eyes shut in hopes of not letting himself think any harder on it.

_His best friend._

“I shouldn’t have brought it up, should I?” Hermione realizes weakly.

“We’ll have to talk about it sometime,” he says softly, hearing the desperation in her voice. “May as well be now.”

The near-silence of the darkness of the forest is interrupted with the sounds of a chase; Harry’s heart jumps back to the pressure of a shaken pop bottle as they both rise to their feet - Hermione, with her wand at the ready. 

“They can’t see us,” she whispers, though he knows she’s doubting the strength of her wards now, and unfortunately enough, so is he. “Can’t hear us. Whoever they are...they can’t.”

“And if they can?”

They share a series of shaky breaths before Hermione raises her wand and quietly strengthens the spells over their area.

+

Harry’s on watch when it happens again, Hermione - restlessly - sleeping inside the tent. This time, though, it doesn’t sound like a chase, just a single person who doesn’t really know what they’re doing in the forest at night.

Harry could empathize.

“Not looking for us, then,” he deduces, and gives the tent just one look before stealing off with Hermione’s wand. 

Not surprisingly, whoever it is runs from the sound of Harry’s steps, and it’s then he realizes just how idiotic he’s being. 

_Oh, it’s not like I’m going to say hello,_ he thinks, and shoves away Hermione’s voice in his head.

It doesn’t take Harry long to find the person - or rather, they find him.

“Potter?” comes a breathless, exhausted inquiry from behind him.

_Fuck._

+

“You didn’t _really_ expect us to think you were actually running away, did you?” Hermione shouts at Malfoy, wand gripped tightly enough in her white hand that Harry’s honestly concerned she’s about to break it. The effort she puts into not exacting the violence that Harry sees in her eyes is roughly equivalent to the effort Malfoy puts into keeping himself from making any smartass remarks.

“I didn’t _expect_ anything from you, Granger; I didn’t come here looking for you in the first place. Just trying to get away from the world, just like you.”

“Bullshit.”

“You’re the one who’s making assumptions about things she doesn’t understand.”

“Is that so?” Hermione growls, pulling up the sleeve of Draco’s shirt again, revealing his Dark Mark.

“It happens to be permanent, Granger. Whether they want me or not,” he declares. “Well, they _want_ me. They just… _don’t._ ”

“Bloody hell, I can’t believe you think you’re getting anywhere with this rubbish,” she sighs angrily.

“No, actually, I’m well aware that I’m getting nowhere, considering that you’ve got me bound to a bloody tree. You may not like me, Granger, but I’m not an idiot.”

“That’s debatable, Malfoy.”

Hermione’s fuming, Malfoy looks exhausted, and Harry _is_ exhausted. He interjects. 

“So, what _are_ you doing here, then?” he asks. Hermione sighs, but steps aside to let him be closer to the tree she’s tied Malfoy to; Harry doesn’t get particularly close. 

“You’re not the only one who gets sick of being the proverbial Golden Child, Potter,” he replies after some thought, and though Harry stifles his chuckle at first, Hermione laughs.

“Proverbial,” she mutters under her breath, her tone one of disbelief, and Harry can just _hear_ her exhaustion start to set in. 

“I may not be your biggest fan, but I don’t...I don’t want to kill people, either,” Malfoy’s voice gets softer now, and he takes a deep breath. “I don’t want to kill, or torture, or any of this.”

_“You don’t understand. I have to do this. He’ll kill me..”_

Harry remembers like it was yesterday. 

“And what _do_ you want?” 

None of them expect the question, and even after asking, Harry’s not entirely sure why he _cares._

It takes a moment, but Malfoy eventually responds. 

“Staying _alive_ is really as far as I’ve gotten in terms of what I’m _trying_ to do. Keeping my parents alive is the closest thing to a next step that I have. Actually knowing the truth about _something_ would be pretty fucking fantastic, too.”

Harry and Hermione exchange an understanding glance.

“He might know something useful,” Harry says, eager to find out what had been the breaking point for their former classmate and unexpected visitor. 

“Right here,” Malfoy mouths, but apparently has the self-restraint not to say it aloud, which even Hermione realizes, though she only clenches her jaw in response. 

“Can you cook, Malfoy?” she asks, and he gives her an amusingly confused look that does something strange to Harry’s stomach. 

“Quite well, yes. Mother insisted upon teaching me. Why do you ask?”

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: This was planned as a longer piece, but due to RL circumstances and this being for a fest, that got cut somewhat. I still hope to follow through with writing more of this storyline, but please don't leave a comment just asking for more. If you liked it, great, but it is tiring to be on the receiving end of commentary that consists of no substance but pleas for more, particularly on one shots - where, unless stated, I have _not committed_ to continuing.
> 
> I don't want to be rude but I have health issues and schoolwork to attend to and those take priority, and the work that I otherwise choose to work on after that, although I'm sorry if my work doesn't satisfy you. (I actually have a [survey](http://adf.ly/1Mslwq) you could fill out with that very information if you were so inclined.)
> 
> I love receiving comments, but please be aware that this is a one shot. 
> 
> (and also that I am not getting paid but doing any of the fanwork I do totally of my own volition. (but hey, if you _want_ to pay me, we can talk about that.))


End file.
